20. maj 2014

The blog Safer Public Spaces for Women, Lesbians and Trans* accompanies the meeting for WLT* activists working in
Ljubljana and wider Berlin area, which took place in Potsdam between May 14th
and 18th 2014. There, you can find info about it as well as other sources
for discussing different views on what constitutes safer public spaces.

In German, the asterisk or little star sign (*) is used at the
end of words to denote inclusivity and a variety of self-identifications
that are covered by umbrella terms. For example, the term trans*
includes everyone whose gender identity differs from the one assigned at
birth. The dash sign (_) is used similarly; to create a visual space in
language for everyone who defines as other than woman or man (as in
Aktivist_in). It is also known as the “the gender gap” sign.

Summary of the discussion on main concerns about safer public spaces. (Photo: Tea Hvala)

Why a meeting on safer public spaces?
The purpose
of this meeting was not to question the political significance of safer
public spaces, but to create an opportunity for the exchange of
experience between women, lesbians and trans* (WLT*) activists who
advocate and practice the concept of safer spaces for WLT* in different
ways and circumstances. The idea was not to measure different approaches
against each other, but to broaden the discussion about them in a
supportive environment.

What does the term safer public space mean?
Obviously,
it means different things to different people. The main aim of the
meeting is to talk about what the term (as well as other terms that
describe the idea, such as counterpublics, oppositional spaces,
autonomous spaces, protected spaces, spaces by/for the oppressed) means
to the participants.

Here is a provisional definition, proposed to situate the organizer
and suggest a starting point for the debate: safety implies that
everyone feels comfortable in the space: welcome, heard and respected.
While physical (offline) spaces are at the core of the concept, media
(radio, print, web) and online spaces (social media, forums, chat rooms)
are going to be discussed as well. For a space to be public, it has to
function both internally and externally. Internally, it has to offer a
space for retreat, reflection, self-help, community-building and the
articulation of issues that cannot be discussed elsewhere. Externally,
it has to serve as a training ground for political agitation and
education that targets other publics. From the external point of view,
safer public spaces allow us to address society as a whole without
having to put aside our identities; they allow us to introduce neglected
issues to the official public sphere.

Who was the meeting for?
The
meeting was open to WLT* activists from Ljubljana and wider Berlin area
who are engaged in groups which maintain safer spaces for WLT*. It was also open to WLT* who do not consider themselves activists but wanted to
participate. To see the list of guests, go to Participating groups.

Who prepared the meeting?
Tea Hvala
conceptualized and organized the meeting during her three-month “Europa
gestalten – Politische Bildung in Aktion“ studentship at HochDrei e. V. in cooperation with Ljubljana-based association KUD Mreža,
and with the indispensable help of Tanja Škander. Both of them are
going to participate at the meeting; Tea as the moderator, Tanja as the
(geopolitical) translator.

Tea Hvala is a writer and organizer. She studied
comparative literature, sociology of culture, and gender studies. She
writes columns and essays on local feminist activism, grassroots media
and public space reclaiming, most of which can be read on her blog Prepih.
She co-hosts Sektor Ž, the only feminist radio show in Slovenia, and
has co-organized the International Feminist and Queer Festival Rdeče
zore (Red Dawns) from 2002 to 2013. Her book Rdečke razsajajo! (2011) is dedicated to the festival. Her most recent zine is called Stiff Smiles (2013).

Tanja Škander studied political science in Ljubljana
and Bohemian studies in Brno. Currently, she is studying sociology of
culture at the Viadrina University in Frankfurt (Oder). At the
university, she works for the Office for Equal Opportunities. She also
worked in the area of students’ labour rights and accessibility. She
co-founded the student activist group Querschnitte and collaborated with LesMigraS / Lesbenberatung Berlin e.V. Currently she works for Notübernachtung für Frauen, the only shelter for women in Berlin which is open throughout the year.

The meeting would not be possible without precious conversations with
Kathrin, Tab, Rüzgar, Valentin, Ida, the co-organizers of Red Dawns
Festival and Lesbian-Feminist University. Thank you.

My interview with performer, writer and HYSTERIA editor Bjørk Grue Lidin is coming out in the next issue of Maska.In August 2018, I'll be learning about dance dramaturgy in Bassano dal Grappa, Italy, as part of the Performing Gender - Dance Makes Differences project.